FAQWhat is a domain name?

A domain name is a unique identifier owned (or registered) by an individual or organisation e.g. if a web site is www.mydomain.co.za then 'mydomain' is the domain name part, the .com of the example is the Top Level Domain and the 'www' is a server or service name. Once you own the domain name it is 'delegated' to you via a Domain Name Service (DNS) entry and the domain owner CONTROLS all naming to the left of 'mydomain'. So depending on your company you could create (and give public or private access to) systems with names like myhost.mydomain.co.za or uk.mydomain.co.za or plant1.ca.mydomain.co.za or anything you choose - and have valid DNS entries for. By convention (but only convention) the most commonly used entries are www.mydomain.co.za (world wide web) and mail.mydomain.co.za (or pop.mydomain.co.za or smtp.mydomanin.co.za).